Premature Greying Of Hair – Know The Facts

Grey hair, silver hair, salt and pepper hair, no matter what you call it, such hair colour is always associated with aging. But what to make of it when these grey hair start to appear on your head when you are still in your 20s? This phenomenon is called premature greying of hair. It happens when the melanin-producing pigment cells in your hair follicles stop producing sufficient melanin. Melanin is what gives your hair its colour. The thing to remember though is that the functioning of the pigment cells is mostly genetic. So if your parents or grandparents suffered from premature greying of hair, chances are that you will too. So, basically there is not much you can do to prevent greying except blame it on your genes. Having said that, there are still some things you can do to slow the process, if not reverse it completely. Let's take a look at them.

There are two major factors that contribute to early greying of your hair. They are –

Smoking

Scientists have found out in a recent study that smoking is a cause of premature greying of hair. So if you are a heavy smoker, at least try to lower the amount you smoke if ditching the habit completely is too difficult for you.

Nutritional Deficiency

Research has also shown that the deficiency of certain nutrients can contribute to the early greying of hair. Deficiency of vitamin B6, vitamin B5 and biotin cause greying of hair. A good way to tackle this is by maintaining a balanced diet containing eggs, milk, whole wheat, greens, etc. It will also require you to cut down on junk food if you are a frequent indulger.

Apart from these one can always try homemade hair treatments mentioned below to make the greying process slower. Now, there is no hardcore science backing them, but generations of users claim that they do work. Give them a try.

Curry Leaves And Coconut Oil

One good way to tackle premature greying of hair is to include the intake of curry leaves (kadhi patta) in your daily diet.

Apart from that you can take a handful of these curry leaves and boil them in coconut oil. Once the oil cools down, strain it and apply it to your head. Massage the oil into your scalp and leave it overnight. Wash it off in the morning. You can also make a large batch and store it in a bottle.

Indian Gooseberries Or Amla

Amla is rich in anti-oxidants and vitamin C both of which have anti-aging properties.

Boil some dried amla in coconut oil. Once the oil cools down, strain it and apply it to your head. Massage the oil into your scalp and leave it overnight. Wash it off in the morning.

Alternatively, you can also added fenugreek (methi) powder to this oil to up its potency.

If your aim is just to hide the grey hair, you can always go in for hair-colouring treatments. Henna too works well as a natural hair colour minus all the chemicals. And, if at all you don't want any of the hassle, why not try to embrace the grey instead of shunning it. After all, Meryl Streep with her head full of grey hair in ‘The Devil Wears A Prada' looked absolutely stunning and exuded a strong sense of power, confidence and self worth. And for the guys, Richard Gere with all his silver hair is still one of the most handsome men Hollywood has seen. Just remember, greying does not equal aging! If you are young at heart and active in life, grey is just a colour for you.